Symptoms and Treatment Options for Menopause

Menopause is a point in a woman's life where the function of the ovaries discontinue and her menstrual cycle ceases for twelve months. The ovaries provide a woman's body with the hormones that give her female characteristics, such as breasts and a curvy body shape.

When the ovaries stop producing hormones a woman can suffer from several different symptoms.

Menopause is a natural process indicated by a hormonal imbalance. Estrogen levels do slump during menopause but it is the drop progesterone levels that result in menopausal symptoms and complications. Symptoms include irregular vaginal bleeding, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings, fatigue, and irritability. Not every woman experiences these symptoms and some suffer from completely different or more serious conditions.

Irregular bleeding or skipped menstrual cycles is one of the first signals that a woman is beginning menopause. The first signs of abnormal bleeding are associated with a decrease in fertility although it is possible for a woman to become pregnant during this time. There is no normal pattern of menstrual cycles for women who are beginning menopause. Lengths between cycles and cycle flows can vary from woman to woman and from month to month. There is also no set length of time that it takes for a woman to go through the menopausal transition.

Hot flashes are among the most common symptom of menopause. When hot flashes occur, a warm sensation comes in waves throughout the head and chest. Dizziness, nausea, and a rapid heart beat are also associated with hot flashes. As with abnormal bleeding there are little normal patterns for hot flashes. Hot flashes can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes and can occur for up to ten years in particular women. However, the normal occurrence of hot flashes in women enduring menopause is five years.

Black Cohosh has been tested and verified as an effective source of relief of hot flashes. Black Cohosh is a herbal remedy and is safe to use for periods shorter than six months. Further tests are being conducted to verify the safety of this herb for the future use in the relief of hot flashes.

Vaginal dryness occurs due to the skin of the vagina and the vulva, the skin around the vagina, becoming thinner throughout menopause. Thus, the vagina looses its self-lubricating abilities, leading to dryness, lack of sexual arousal, and painful sexual intercourse.

Over-the counter vaginal lubricants such as KY Jelly can be used to decrease the symptoms of dryness and painful sexual intercourse. Unfortunately, these products can be messy, a hassle to use, and the effects may not last as long as replacing the estrogen lost.

Mood swings, fatigue, and irritability are the most common symptoms associated with menopause and often the punch line of many jokes. However, researchers have found it difficult to link menopause to these emotional problems. Many other factors have to be accounted for such as stress and other life changes.

Antidepressants such as Zoloft and Prozac can be prescribed by a doctor to help with the stress and sadness that accompanies menopause. However, antidepressants have been known to decrease sexual arousal in women.

Other minor symptoms include changes in appearance such as weight gain, adult acne, thinning hair, and wrinkles.

Osteoporosis is a major chronic illness and effect of menopause. Osteoporosis is the deterioration of bone density usually occurring in woman of and around the age of forty. Menopause speeds this process enabling women to become susceptible to bone fractures. Thus, osteoporosis occurs as a result of age and hormonal changes.

Treatment for osteoporosis includes sufficient calcium and vitamin D intake, as well as a number of medications that will decrease bone deterioration and increase bone strength. Lifestyle changes are also encouraged among women who have developed osteoporosis, including frequent exercise and suspension of smoking and alcoholic beverages.

Cardiovascular disease is another major health risk connected with menopause. Heart disease is a result of the thickening of the arteries and also leads to high blood pressure, angina, and strokes. Surprisingly, heart disease is the number one killer among women today. Menopause decreases the level of metabolism and brings changes in the level of fat cells (lipids) in women's blood. The amount of lipids per unit of blood establishes a woman's cholesterol count. When low density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad form of cholesterol, becomes too high it accumulates and clogs the arteries of the heart.

Estrogen has been known to protect women from heart disease by improving the lipid profile and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Estrogen therapy has lead to an increase in strokes but has proved to decrease the risk of heart disease.

There are two types of hormonal replacement therapies. One is the replacement of both estrogen and progesterone and the other is only estrogen replacement. Hormones are usually given in a pill form and have been highly effective in reducing the side effects of menopause including hot flashes, irritability, depression, and insomnia. Hormonal treatment for menopause is still quite controversial due to some links doctors have found between hormones and breast and endometrial cancer. Therefore, the use of hormonal replacement treatment is left to the decision of the individual and doctor based on the woman's medical history and an assessment of the benefits and risks.

Remember that menopause is not an illness or a disease; it is a natural process that every woman goes through, some with more severe symptoms than others. If a woman begins to experience any of the symptoms above and is around the age of forty it is not necessary to see a doctor unless the symptoms become unbearable or unmanageable.

Women who begin to notice any discomfort of menopause should have their family doctor refer them to a local endocrinologist. Endocrinologists are specially trained to diagnose and treat menopause. These doctors know of the most modern and safest forms of treatment to restore the hormonal imbalance of women who are experiencing the life changes of menopause.

Other sources used:

http://www.medicinenet.com/menopause/article.htm